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Birthing Tank
By G ma from the G ma department, Section Diaries Posted on Wed Aug 29, 2007 at 01:05:06 PM PST Tags: (all tags)

I would like to use 2.5 gallon tanks for birthing tanks.

Is it necessary to cycle the tanks before using them for these purposes?

I would be using bare tanks with heater and sponge filter filtration.

For birthing purposes (I save more fry by placing the expectant female in a separate tank by herself) I would float a few small pieces of artificial greenery.

Water changes would be done on a daily basis after placing fry in a net cage (generally used for birthing) and with the net then suspended in the larger 2.5 tank.

Is there anything else I should be doing or doing differently?

Thanks,

G ma

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Birthing Tank | 5 comments (5 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Birthing Tank (none / 0) (#4)
by G ma on Wed Nov 01, 2006 at 11:46:58 AM PST

Uncle Scott,

Thanks. I can afford maybe a 10 gallon tank for growing out fry but still don't understand/know how many fry I can put into that size tank.

The daily water changes are getting to be tedius. At my age the shoulders and arms hurt a lot from hauling that water from the kitchen to the livingroom where the tanks are.

Plus, as I just said, in a new diary entry on ammonia levels, I'm adding ammonia into the tank with every water change because of the city water supply.

I do have about 12 gallons of hurricane emergency drinking water in the garage. If I test it and it doesn't have ammonia in it, could I use some of that to do my partial water changes?

Thanks,

G ma

Re: Birthing Tank (none / 0) (#5)
by New Guppy Momma on Wed Nov 01, 2006 at 07:53:39 PM PST

If the fry are in there until half grown and with frequent water changes (every 3-4 days or so once the tank cycles) you could get away with around 20 fry. I had 13 fry in a 1 gallon tank for about a month but I was doing twice daily 50% water changes most of the time. Now I just let the fry fend for themselves. Adding a few more plastic plants helps and I recently constructed a spawning mop which also hides fry and gives the other fish more shelter as well. Doesn't do much for the asthetics of my tank as my daughters wanted it pink and purple. But it looks pretty. I'll have to get a picture of it. The directions are somewhere in IH. but it's really easy. Just wind knittting yarn around a book about 100 times. Cut the looped ends and knot one end. I tied one end of mine to the cross beam of my tank hood. Oh and I boiled mine for about 20 minutes before adding to the tank after I cooled it in ice water. The water in the pot was a very bright pinky color. Imagine all that dye in the fishtank. EEEKKK ;)

Oh and Thanks Unc for posting the instructions.I think a long while ago. The Captain feels a bit more secure with the extra shelter from his imagined dangers.
Before all else fails....do a 25% water change ;)
[ Parent ]

Re: Birthing Tank (none / 0) (#2)
by angelhologram on Wed Nov 01, 2006 at 05:42:31 AM PST

Yes, it's better to have the tank cycled (read up on fishless cycling in Immediate Help) but you can do daily/every other day water changes instead. Plants will help control ammonia so not only are they a good place for babies to hide but they help with the health of your fish. I suggest some for both the top and bottom of the tank.
*BEFORE you buy fish make sure you understand what "Cycling" a tank means <- quoted from miskaral* ~Trying to make a difference one fish at a time~

So far, so good. (none / 0) (#1)
by loach48 on Wed Nov 01, 2006 at 05:22:31 AM PST

Wow that is a good setup ! Maybe if you want you can buy grayel and save maybe 1+ fry and sinking plants since they are born at the bottom. (These are optional.)

Please see what mortie is planning on doing (none / 0) (#3)
by unclescott on Wed Nov 01, 2006 at 11:35:09 AM PST

for his fry grow-out tank in "unexpected death and fry grow out set up" further up this page. Naturally I toss in a few suggestions too and others could make more.

If you are starting a new aquarium with just qa couple of fish or - in the case of fry - with a small weight/ mass of fish, there is no reason why you couldn't import most of a cycle to that tank. Gravel is not necessary, but does carry a lot of beneficial bacteria with it from an established tank. If having a clean, easily siphoned area in the fry tank is important to you, spread the gravel around the sides and back of the aquarium and leave "center stage" clear.

This still involves some time to get the sponge filters going in an established tank. 2.5s are useful for housing dropping females. I also leave a blackworm jar in there so they have something to munch on to the exclusion of fry. (For more Google GL for worm jar.)

If you are thinking of raising the fry up in there, that is very hard. Complete water changes where you put in water from a healthy tank might work if there is enough water available. The possibly 25% daily water changes in the source tank will benefit those fish too.

That does however, sound like a lot of work. It sounds unkind maybe to suggest a further expenditure of time and space, but ten-gallon tanks are cheaper than 2.5s and much better grow out tanks.

atb!

[ Parent ]

Birthing Tank | 5 comments (5 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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